


Down in the Underground

by littleshadowlight



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: F/M, False Memories, Family, Original Character(s), Repressed Memories, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2018-12-23 13:35:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11990880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleshadowlight/pseuds/littleshadowlight
Summary: Several years after Sarah Williams defeated the Goblin King and won back her baby brother, Toby, Jareth still has deep feelings for her. Acting on his love, he granted his own wish to be with her, no matter the cost. He trades his life as the Goblin King for a life with Sarah in the Aboveground. His memories of being the Goblin King are repressed and so too are Sarah's of her journey in the Labyrinth. The two of them, now happily married, have a young family of two daughters. Things are going well until Jareth remembers who he really is and Sarah comes to see that the man she married and started a family with is the very fae who she had battled all those years ago for her baby brother's freedom.





	1. At the Beginning With You

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea for this fan fiction from my walks to and from the bus that I take for a short contract that I am currently working. 
> 
> This might be a short story. We'll see.
> 
> Please enjoy and comment. Thank you.
> 
> Labyrinth (c) The Jim Henson Company

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the idea for this fan fiction from my walks to and from the bus that I take for a short contract that I am currently working.
> 
> This might be a short story. We'll see.
> 
> Please enjoy and comment. Thank you.
> 
>  _Labyrinth_ (c) The Jim Henson Company

He wanted to be with her, no matter the price. It would be a hefty cost, he knew that. But still it was what he wanted. To have her, to be with her in any way was better than the life he was living. Even if it meant…  
\----  
Jareth woke up to the buzz of his alarm clock. It was insufferable having to wake every weekday at half past five in the morning. This was for the best, he would remind himself. This was all for her and their family. However, this particular morning, his optimistic thoughts were lost as he realized that it was Monday, which meant he had a whole week of ahead of crunching numbers and breakfasts of caffeinated coffee and cold cereal in attempt to keep him awake throughout the workday.

He slammed his fist down on the alarm clock on the bedside table to shut the annoying device off. Once it was off, he heard slight movement. He looked over to see his wife, who was trying her best to catch a few more minutes of sleep. Sarah rolled over in the bed, moving the covers up over her eyes. She didn’t have to be up as early as he did for her job. She was currently on summer break from her job working as a drama teacher. Though she would be woken up by their daughters soon enough, one of whom always seemed to have boundless energy so early in the morning.

As if on cue, the door to their bedroom opened and in ran their youngest daughter, a three year old, pulling along her sister, a sleepy five year old. 

“Mama! Papa!” The three year old exclaimed, releasing her hand on her sister to jump on to her parents’ bed. The five year old yawned before also going on her parents’ bed to try and fall asleep again, despite her sister jumping on the bed.

Jareth sat up in the bed. There was no choice. If his alarm clock hadn’t woken him up, his daughter would have. He moved his hand to gently grab his jumping daughter. She was young, but she could be reckless and he really didn’t want to deal with kissing a wound on her head if she had fallen off the bed.

“Faye, sweetheart, no jumping on the bed.” He managed to tell her, though he was still waking up. 

It was too late to let Sarah sleep a while longer for Faye had already woken her mother up from all the jumping. Jareth could see that his wife was doing her best to hold in a groan.

“Why don’t you go back to your room and play with your toys while your mother and I get up and make you breakfast?” He suggested to her, trying to be as calm as possible. He released Faye’s arm.

The little girl looked at him and gave her father a wide smile.

“Okay, Papa!” She said, happily before running off of the bed, stomping down the hallway to her room. 

Jareth looked to see that their eldest child was laying at the foot of their bed, trying to sleep. He gently reached over to touch her.

“Titania, why don’t you back to sleep in your room?” He told her.

The five year old looked up at her father with sleepy green eyes and nodded before slinking out of the bed and sluggishly walking back to her bedroom to go back what she had been doing before her younger sister had woken her up.

It was amazing how different their children were. Titania, their oldest, had inherited Jareth’s looks, but had a quiet presence about her. She much preferred looking at her picture books and reading what she could, now that she had learned how to read, and drawing things than causing a ruckus like her sister. Titania was also a dreamer, drawing pictures of creatures she made up in her mind, though her favorite thing to draw were goblins. Jareth wasn’t quite sure why she drew goblins or why she had an interest in fairy tales with them in it.

As for Faye, their youngest, she was active from the moment she learned how to talk and walk. She would listen to stories, but she much preferred to go outside and play in the dirt, grabbing worms and learn about the world with great curiosity. She had Sarah’s dark hair and her father’s mismatched eyes, a rare eye condition, but she clearly saw quite well.

Sarah peeled the comforter away from her and finally let out the groan she had been keeping in. Waking up early was hard, especially when one had expectations for the day.

Jareth leaned over and kissed her on the lips, a much more pleasant way of waking her up. His wife fell into his kiss, returning it.

“Good morning, love.” He whispered against her lips.

“Good morning.” She replied and grabbed from him another kiss.  
\-----  
His brief case felt even heavier on his walk to the bus home, if that was even possible. The day had been a long one, tiring as always. Another Monday gone by under horrible management. They were such fools at his company. Surely, he deserved more than this. His family deserved more than this.

Jareth paused, stopping in front of a familiar coffee shop. It had been a place where he had often met Sarah at when they had been dating. It was a place filled with memories for them, a place where they had talked about their dreams and desires. It was also the place where they had had a horrible break up before after some time reconciling and dating again.

Life had been so simple back then, ten years ago. They had such dreams too, but had to sacrifice them for the sake of their family.

He saw his reflection in the window. Tall and thin with dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. Blonde hair cut short and he was clean shaven to have a professional appearance. It was almost as if he didn’t look like himself. His true self being hidden under this disguise.

“You have no power over me!” The words echoed across his mind and his head and heart began to ache. His hold on his brief case loosened and it dropped to the ground. It seemed that no matter what he could not escape that voice. 

For ten years he had had nightmares, of facing a dark haired young woman, of feeling the stab of pain that came with her words. A villain to be defeated. Woven in them too were flashes of scenes of another world, chaotic and full of nonsense. A world of magic. It was as if it was calling to him.

He put his hands over his head, grimacing. Why did he have to have an attack like this now? All he wanted was to catch his bus and go back home. 

Steam that had the worst stench that Jareth had ever smelt rose up from the manhole on the street near him. Sometimes he would pass by the manholes, making up little fantasy stories of what was residing beneath them underground. If he had told Faye the stories he had created, he knew that she would love them. She always had a strange fascination with earth and what was under it.

Jareth coughed and released his hands from his head. He managed to look back at the window of the coffee shop. The smell seemed to have disappeared along with the steam from the manhole. The reflection he had seen before, a typical over worked man in a suit and tie was gone. In its place was a man with his same features, only with a long mane of blonde hair and dressed in a tailored outfit of black leather. Around his neck was a strange amulet. Glitter was in the air around him.

The man shook, terrified by this transformation. And yet deep inside something told him that this was who he really was. He was this man, the Goblin King.

Before he could do anything, the reflection held up his hand and tossed a crystal ball at him. A moment later, Jareth was gone and the steam from the manhole wafted towards the coffee shop again.  
\-----  
Sarah hadn’t really slept in over a week. She had been running on worry and anxiety. It was only understandable since her husband hadn’t come home from work one day like he always did. By six o’clock in the evening on the dot, he was always home from work, helping her to make dinner for their family. That past Monday had been different. It wasn’t that he was late. He just simply hadn’t come home at all and had remain missing for such a long time.

She had called and texted his mobile phone too many times to count. She had reached out to his coworkers, friends, anyone who might have a clue as to where he went. This wasn’t like Jareth to simply disappear.

The police were involved now, putting Jareth on a list of Missing Persons. It was hard for her to feel so helpless, so powerless. 

Sarah paced around her room, her latest call to her husband giving her the message that his number was no longer available. She was ready to break down. It was hard for her to remain strong, to reassure her daughters that their father would be home any minute. 

Something caught her eye. She glanced over to see a strange red leather bound book on her night table. Maybe it was how tired she was, but she did not recall putting a book there, much less owning such a book. She approached the night table and saw the title of the book, _Labyrinth_. What an odd title for a book. 

Sarah reached to pick up the book. As soon her fingers touched the cover, she felt a shock like an electric bolt go through her. Memories flew through her mind. She had made a wish, she had gone to the Underground, she had been the one to…

The book and her cell phone fell from her hands. Her heart was pounding and she raced out of her room to her oldest daughter’s room. She had to protect them.

There was a crash of thunder and a flash of lightening when she burst into Titania’s room. She was in such a hurry and focused on other things that she only now noticed that there was a horrible summer storm going on outside.

The window to Titania’s room was open. Standing before the window was a familiar figure who made Sarah feel frightened and delighted to see at the same time. In his arms, she saw both of her daughters. Titania was asleep and Faye seemed to wake up for just a moment to see her desperate mother.

“Papa’s home.” Faye told her mother tiredly before closing her eyes to fall into a deep sleep again.

Sarah glared at the villain from her past.

“You’re him, aren’t you? You’re the Goblin King.” She knew him now. The memories were back.

He grinned at her. This would be very interesting indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I did get the name Titania from the faerie queen in _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. Faye is an English name that means "faerie/fairy," which I thought was an appropriate name for a child of Jareth and Sarah.
> 
> I did get the chapter name from the song from _Anastasia_. It's a nice song.
> 
> _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ (c) William Shakespeare
> 
> _Anastasia_ (c) Fox Animation Studios and 20th Century Fox


	2. Marriage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter written so soon. I was just on a roll. Loving a long weekend I'm having.
> 
> Just a quick time line, in case some people are confused:  
> \- Sarah is 15 when she wished Toby away and defeated Jareth in the Labyrinth  
> \- Sarah is 24 when she runs into Jareth again and Jareth represses her and his memories of the labyrinth. Sarah is also 24 when she begins dating Jareth and becomes engaged to him.  
> \- Sarah is 25 when she marries Jareth  
> \- Sarah is 29 when she becomes pregnant with Titania and quits her job as a theater actress to work as a drama teacher  
> \- Sarah is 30 when she gives birth to Titania  
> \- Sarah is 31 when she becomes pregnant with Faye  
> \- Sarah is 32 when she gives birth to Faye  
> \- Sarah is 35 in the present of this story and she and Jareth have celebrated their 10 year wedding anniversary already
> 
> Please enjoy and comment. Thank you for the kudos as well.

_But what no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl._

__

__

_And the girl had fallen in love with him._

“I wish that Papa was home.” Titania told her mother as she was tucked into bed. 

Laying beside her on the bed under her purple covers was her little sister who had already fallen asleep. Faye had taken to sleeping in her sister’s room these past couple of nights, somehow convinced that someone would come and take her away if she slept alone. 

It was obvious that the little girls were taking the disappearance of their father hard. Faye, in particular, had come to believe that without her father around that the supposed magic spell protecting their home from monsters and beings from another world was gone.

Sarah finished setting the covers over Titania. She reached a gentle hand to move some of the blonde hair out of Titania’s face. Both of her daughters’ hair was a bit odd. Parts around their head were different lengths, much like Jareth’s. It seemed that no matter how often Sarah would carefully cut their hair, it would grow back almost instantly into whatever length it wanted to be. Titania’s hair at the moment reminded Sarah of how her husband’s hair used to be when they had first met.

“So do I. I’m sure he’ll be back any moment. He probably got lost chasing goblins on the way home.” Sarah decided to cater to Titania’s imagination, thinking it better than telling her the truth.

“Goblins grant wishes, Mama. Maybe if we wish hard enough, they’ll bring Papa back.” It was a silly suggestion, but Sarah could tell that her daughter was being serious. She knew that while Titania didn’t understand all the details about her father’s disappearance, she wanted to help.

“I thought that faeries granted wishes.” The mother decided not to tell her daughter what she had heard that goblins did. Kidnapping babies was probably not the best reputation for a mythical creature, after all.

“Shows what you know, don’t it? Faeries bite.” Her daughter replied. “Papa told me. He said that’s why I’m named Titania for the queen of the faeries so that when I grow up I’ll be strong and fight evil.”

“I see.” They always had to be careful of what they said around their daughters. Titania and Faye soaked up everything like a sponge. “Well, my little queen, time for you to go to sleep.”

Sarah moved to press a kiss to Titania’s forehead. She stood up from her daughter’s bed, watching for a moment as Titania closed her eyes.

“Sweet dreams, sweetheart.” 

“Goodnight, Mama. Remember to wish to the goblins.” Titania reminded her before turning over in her bed to cuddle with her plushie of a dark chicken.

Sarah went to the door of her daughter’s room and switched off the overhead light. Immediately a nightlight came on, producing beams of light that shined around the room in the shapes of stars. 

The mother closed the door and sighed. It was ridiculous and yet something within her told her to do it, to make a wish.

“I wish that the goblins would return Jareth to me, right now.”

Nothing happened.  
\-----  
The Goblin King was before her, their daughters in his arms. When she had made the wish to have her husband back, this was not what she had in mind. That had been only a short while ago, barely thirty minutes ago. But now she knew everything. She remembered. The situation she now found herself in was tricky to say the least.

Sarah stood her ground, despite being unsure exactly of what to do. The Goblin King had been her villain once. He had taken Toby, making her face challenges to free her baby brother from a fate of being turned into a goblin. Would Jareth resign their daughters to the same fate?

Yet, Jareth had been her husband and they had built a good life together. Their daughters were evidence of that. Could she really forget the memories of their years together and see Jareth once more as the villain to be defeated?

“Put them down!” She demanded of him. 

She may have been uncertain of what to do with Jareth, but she was knew that the safety of their daughters was her top priority and it seemed to be the only thing keeping her standing. Sarah would not let Jareth see how exhausted she was, how hurt she had been over his disappearance.

“I wouldn’t yell if I were you, love. You’ll wake our daughters and you know as well as I do how long it takes to get them back to sleep.” He was taunting her, but his point was a good one. Their daughters could be hard to put back to bed if wakened during their slumber. “However, it is past their bedtime and they are quite exhausted. It is best if they go to their beds.”

Before Sarah could do anything, Titania and Faye disappeared in small clouds of glitter and away from their mother. Maternal instinct ruled Sarah and she flung herself at Jareth, mustering up what energy she could. She reached to grab him, her hands burying themselves in the dark fabric of his shirt.

“Where are they? Where did you send my babies?” She hissed at him.

“You know very well where they are.” He remained calm before reaching to grab her hands and pluck them off of him. His hold her hands was strong and Sarah reluctantly released him. When he felt her grasp release, he let her go.

“If you hurt them or turn them into goblins, so help me. I’ll-.” She fumed at him.

“You’ll what? What is your plan, Sarah?” He cut her off and smirked. “Do you really think me so evil that I would subject my own children to pain or transformation?”

“You kidnap babies to turn them into goblins and play games with those responsible for them. How can you expect me to trust you after everything?” Anger and hurt. She felt betrayed. But it was hard for she loved Jareth, even seeing him like this. Sarah didn’t know what to do and she had the feeling of having no control.

“Might I remind you that you asked for the child to be taken. I took him. Do not seek to blame me for your misjudgment.” Jareth reminded her. “Should I be grateful that you did not wish Titania or Faye away?”

“That was twenty years ago!” Two decades. Had it really been that long? 

“Exactly and yet here you are, still harping on it. Still angry at me for doing as you asked. I have been generous up till now.” He looked at her. She was weary. He could tell that. She was pulling on all the energy she had left just to face him.

“Generous? What have you done that’s generous?” Hadn’t she lost eleven years of her life, one year of dating and ten years of marriage, to him? Hadn’t she given him without knowing the truth her love and two beautiful daughters? He had bled her dry under false pretenses. 

“Everything!” He snapped at her. “Everything I’ve done I’ve done for you. I have loved you and been the good, loyal husband you wanted. I made sacrifices for you, despite knowing the cost. I’m exhausted of living up to your expectations of me. The least you can do is be welcoming to me after wishing for me to come back to you.” 

Her expectations of him? She had never thrown any expectations on him. He had put himself in this situation. But wasn’t she being unfair?

Sarah took a step back from him, not knowing what to say. Her legs, however, appeared to have a mind of their own. They were hardly steady. She felt like the world around her was swaying, swimming.

“I will grant you one more kindness and forgive this outburst, wife mine. I can see that you are distressed and exhausted. Did you miss me that much?” 

Jareth wasn’t wrong. Sarah was on the verge of collapsing from sleepless nights full of worry and little appetite. How could she eat when the love of her life was missing? But she knew the truth now. And the only thing that was keeping her going at the moment was the thought of her daughters. But this fight was taking what energy she had out of her. 

She managed to stumble forward, reaching out with a fist to punch the Goblin King in the face. Sarah never knew if she made contact with him for a moment later everything faded into darkness.  
\-----  
_A young woman walked out of a coffee shop, caring in her hand a small chai latte. It was a small treat for herself for managing to land a supporting role in an upcoming play. It was a great fortune for the twenty four year old to get this part, considering the theater putting it on was well known. This would be her chance to shine, to eventually become the theater star she had wanted to be since she was a teenager._

_Suddenly, she felt something in her head. A sharp pain that coursed through her entire body. The pain was so much that her hand lost its grip on her chai latte. Unable to stop herself, she fell forward hitting something._

_The something that she had hit was soft, which was unexpected as she was certain that she would land head first into the sidewalk._

_“Are you alright?” A voice asked her. It was muffled at first but cleared a moment later, along with the pain._

_Sarah looked up to see a man, handsome with mismatched eyes and a mane of long blonde hair. It was only then that she realized that the soft something she had landed against was the man._

_She quickly tried to move back, when she felt his hands touch her shoulders move to steady her._

_“Take it easy. You’ve been through quite a shock.” He told her. Sarah found herself listening to his smooth voice, enchanted by him. The man looked down to notice that her latte had spilled on the ground when she had fallen into him. “Oh dear, that’s not good. Come. Let us get you another one and something to eat. You look like you could use it.”_

_“I’m fine. Thank you.” Sarah protested, her mind able to process words and speak them again._

_“I insist. Please.”_

_Before she knew it, she was back in line in the coffee shop with the mysterious man._

_A few minutes later, she was carrying a bag that contained a chocolate chip muffin and a new chai latte out of the shop. Before she left, however, she turned to the kind gentleman that had helped her._

_“Thank you for your help. I’m Sarah.” She held out her hand for him to shake. “Sarah Williams.” She owed him her name at least for rescuing her._

_He moved his dark gloved hand to shake her hand._

_“A pleasure, Miss Williams. I’m Jareth King.”_  
\-----  
_It seemed like every day that Sarah would visit the coffee shop, she would see Jareth there, also ordering something, some kind of tea usually. One day she had finally gotten the guts to invite him to sit with her as she munched on her breakfast. There was something so fascinating about him that she wanted to know more._

_“So while it’s not much, it’s something.” Sarah told him, wrapping up part of the conversation._

_“I think your dream is beautiful. To be theater actress. I’m a musician myself, so I appreciate the arts.” It was good for her to know that they shared a common interest in the performing arts. “Unfortunately, singing and writing songs doesn’t pay the bills, so I keep a day job in data entry. But after meeting you, I suppose that I was fortunate that my company transferred me here.”_

_“Where did you come from?” She had picked up on his accent from the moment they had first met and while she had a pretty good idea of where it was from, she didn’t want to be rude by pointing it out._

_“I’m from London, though I’m sure you noticed.” He said._

_“Well not London, specifically.” The British accent she had picked up on, but being able to pinpoint it to London, she had been unable to do. “But I am glad that you came here too. And I was wondering if maybe…” Her heart was pounding. There was something about him that made her want to be with him more. “If maybe you wanted to go out for dinner. Say Friday?”_

_“I would love to, Sarah.” He agreed._  
\-----  
A pair of green eyes fluttered opened. The bed beneath her felt so soft, so much better than the memory foam mattress they had at home. Sarah felt refreshed and as though she had had the best sleep in nearly five years.

It was only then that she noticed something odd. The sun was coming into the room and from the shadows across the floor she could tell that it was late morning. Late morning and she didn’t have her daughters jumping on the bed, seeking her attention at an early hour. There was one other thing that was not right. This was not the master suite she shared with her husband. This room and bed was much too big. Where was she?

She moved out of the bed and looked out a nearby window, seeing a city beneath her surrounded by the great maze of the labyrinth. That’s right. The Goblin King had come and taken the girls and it would seem that he had taken her too.

“You’re awake, I see.”

Sarah turned away from the window to see Jareth. He was dressed in brown pants with boots and a leather jacket over a cream colored shirt. This was the villain she knew, the villain she had defeated. But now he was more than that. He was her husband and had been for the past ten years.

“Titania and Faye will be delighted to see you. I can tell you that they have adapted quite well. I doubt that they miss their old home. They only miss you.” Of course he would tell her about their daughters. It was the only subject that would get Sarah to pay attention to him at the moment without cursing him.

“Where are they?” She demanded. Sarah needed to know that their daughters were safe in this crazy place. 

“They are preoccupied chasing chickens around my throne room. They’re safe.” He assured her. “Do you really think that I would let young children, especially my own, run about my labyrinth? You saw only a glimpse of what is out there. This kingdom holds in it more of those hardships unnumbered than what you faced.”

“It’s good to know that they are getting along.” For a moment, her expression softened. It was almost a conversation they had had before the memories had returned. Even though their daughters were young, they did get into their fair share of fights, usually over something stupid like a toy.

Sarah’s guard went back up again after a moment. She may have been married to him for ten years, but the man, fae rather, she saw before her now was someone she hardly knew. He was dangerous, cunning, and a manipulator. 

“It was all a dream then. A twisted lie and for what? So that you could claim me? Or was it petty revenge for me defeating you?” She shifted the conversation back to their marriage. Sarah wanted to know the truth surrounding it.

“No. None of that. But I know you won’t believe me even if I told you the truth.” At least not now. Not when she was still so upset and casting him the role of the villain. “You were happy in that life with me, weren’t you? Can’t you give this new life a chance?”

Happy? Yes, she had been happy. True, her job was not what she had hoped it would be and she had to quit her career as a theater actress in order to make a more consistent pay check to help take care of her children, but she had everything she wanted. Two beautiful daughters and a loving husband with a roof over their head and plenty to eat. Her dreams, her desires, Jareth had given them to her.

Sarah looked away from him.

“Yes.” She confessed. “I was happy. I loved Jareth King. I’m not sure about you.”

It was easier for her, she realized, to think of her husband and the Goblin King as separate people, even if they were one and the same.

“Fear me. Love me. Hate me. Whatever you will. In time, you will see that I am not villain you want me to be, that I am the husband you fell in love with and married.” She would come to his side, eventually. Jareth planned on it.

He moved towards the door of the royal chambers. 

“Come, Sarah. I will take you see the children. Perhaps it would be best if we not discuss our issues in front of Titania and Faye. You know how upset they can get.”

The Goblin Queen looked up. Jareth was right about not discussing their problems in front of their children. It could upset them and also they would not understand. They were too young. There were too many variables that Sarah and Jareth would have to work through together. 

Sarah moved to follow after her husband, planning to get rid of the chickens that her daughters were tormenting. If they were going to live in Jareth's castle, she would make sure it was clean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, I like writing fairy as faerie. I just think it's a prettier way of writing the word, but from what I've seen both spellings work.
> 
> Also, Jareth's last name as a human being was inspired by the name on the door of his apartment in the Girl's Next Door comic by the lovely Pika-la-Cynique. The comic can be found here: [Girls Next Door](https://pika-la-cynique.deviantart.com/gallery/772068/Girls-Next-Door).


	3. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy. Thank you for the kudos. Feel free to comment.

Sarah was silent as she followed Jareth, hoping that he would lead her to the throne room. What choice did she have? It was only by mere luck that she had happened to be in the right place twenty years ago to face him in the broken castle. She remained on her guard as she followed him, knowing that he could be playing with her by letting her follow him, for she knew he could have just as easily transported them there. He had the ability to lead her to the throne room or a dungeon or even worse, an oubliette.

Perhaps he was giving her an illusion of power by letting her follow him, the best he could do for he had no power over her. Or did he? Had he obtained power over her the moment she had said “I do” and became Mrs. Jareth King at their wedding ten years ago? After all, their wedding had been in a labyrinth too, one of the ones made of hedges on a historical estate that could be used as a rental for events like weddings. They had both been fascinated by labyrinths and mazes in their lives as an ordinary couple in the Aboveground. Now Sarah understood why.

Their ordinary lives had been filled with some sacrifices, but it had been good. Everything had a rhyme and reason, a plan. Even at this moment, Sarah and Jareth ought to have been in the car with their daughters, driving up to the cabin they had rented in the woods for a two week vacation to celebrate the last of summer break. Of course, they wouldn’t have left on time, for the parents would both be double checking that their daughters have everything they needed for the trip, which inevitably they did not. Titania would have misplaced a pair of socks and Faye would try to pack only her stuffed animal collection instead of clothes to wear. 

All of their carefully made plans were down the drain now. It wasn’t exactly like Sarah could come back to the cabin rental company and say “Sorry for being late. Turns out my husband is the Goblin King and decided to take the family to his kingdom in the Underground. Can we get a refund?” Not to mention, she doubted any excuse would make up for her not showing up to work when the school year started.

Her work, her job was gone now. Their mortgage payments would just pile up. Jareth had forgone everything in their ordinary lives by simply uprooting them without his wife’s permission. Things were becoming complicated, not just because of Sarah’s realization that her husband was the very villain that she had defeated two decades ago, but it wasn’t like they could suddenly disappear from their lives in the Aboveground. They had responsibilities. It wasn’t as easy to go away like it had been when she had been a teenager. Didn’t Jareth think about the consequences? Sarah doubted it. He was a king, after all. He was used to things working out for his benefit, only tasting the bitterness of reality when she had defeated him all those years ago.

Sarah ran a hand through her hair, a habit she had picked up as a way of dealing with stress without cursing. There was no need for her daughters to repeat certain words. It was only then that she noticed that it had magically gotten longer, reaching the same length it had been when she was fifteen. Long hair had been hard to deal with in her adult life, so she had cut it short. She had noticed that Jareth’s hair had grown back as well, but somehow she had expected that after seeing him again in his Goblin King regalia. 

What was Jareth doing? Was he harkening back to when they had first met as a way of manipulating her, of bending her to his will? Or could it be that he was trying to make her fall in love with him again, resetting their story with some twists to page one? Even what she was wearing was similar to when they had first met, jeans and white top, only this time her outfit accentuated her matured body. Her clothes were wrinkled, though. Between worry, tending to her daughters, and sleep, her appearance was put on the back burner.

She paused in her walking. There was too much to deal with and she found that she wanted her old life back, even if it cost her her memories. Besides, wasn’t it best for Titania and Faye? They didn’t belong in this crazy world. They had been born in the Aboveground, where they should remain. It wasn’t right to have them involved.

Jareth noticed that she had stopped and turned to face her.

“Sarah? Do you mistrust me? Tell me, darling, why would I lead you astray?” He asked. He seemed amused by her, finding it interesting how despite everything she was still trying to fight him.

“I have good reason not to trust you.” She responded. “And that is why you are going to send me and the girls back home. This isn’t where we belong, Jareth. They’re children, human beings.” Or at least she though they were human, like she was. Neither of their daughters had displayed anything out of the ordinary in regards to magic or power. Then again, neither had Jareth until last night. “We had a life back home and if you are no longer in it then…” She couldn’t finish her words. She should be angry at him, upset, and yet a feeling deep within her knew that she would hurt if he was no longer in her life.

“Our home is here, whether you want it to be or not.” He moved close to her, just inches away from her. “Titania and Faye have half my blood in them. Do you really think they could belong in your world? If you wish to go back to your to room to play your costumes and toys, I won’t stop you. How ever you feel about me, do not let it cloud the fact that I too want what is best for our children.”

She was about to make a comeback at him when suddenly she saw the blurred figure of something dark with feathers move as fast it could past them with a blonde five year old at it’s heels. Chicken feathers flew into the air. Titania, who had been following the chicken, was laughing, appearing to be rather happy. Jareth was quick, reaching out a hand to grab his daughter before she followed the chicken down and over a staircase. They had reached the internal entrance to the throne room and the Goblin King hadn’t tricked Sarah into following him into a cell to lock her up.

Sarah and Jareth’s eldest child realized her father had caught her a moment later when she tried to move to go after her newest toy. Jareth’s grip on her was gentle but strong. Titania looked up to see him.

“Papa!” She exclaimed happily, forgetting about the chicken at the joy of seeing her father again. 

“Hello, precious.” Jareth greeted her, loosening his hold on her. “Your mother is up now and I’m sure she would love to see you and your sister.”

Titania moved her gaze from her father to see her mother standing in front of her. Sarah’s anger at Jareth was forced aside, for she did not want her daughter to see her like that. The children did not need to become involved in their parents’ problems.

“Is Mama feeling better?” Titania asked her father. She hadn’t understood fully what had happened to her mother, only that Sarah had been resting for quite a long time. 

“She is. Aren’t you, Sarah?” Jareth responded, grinning at his wife.

Seeing Jareth and Titania like this, their familial resemblance was undeniable. Titania had so much of her father in her appearance, expect for the eyes. Those were Sarah’s contribution to their eldest child’s genetic makeup. But there was a glow about Titania that Sarah had never seen before. It was if something had awakened in the girl now that she was in the labyrinth, as if the Underground was where she belonged. Was Jareth right?

“I’m fine. I’m sorry for worrying you, sweetheart.” Sarah forced a smile on her face and pleasant wording in her mouth. 

“You slept for…” The girl paused to count. She knew how to count, learning from the songs she had been taught, but time was concept she did not fully understand yet. Titania held up a hand, all her fingers up to display the number five. “Five days. It was forever! Papa said you were sick.”

Five days? Sarah took a step back. Had she been asleep for that long? She looked at Jareth for some kind of confirmation.

“It felt like five days, precious.” Jareth said. “It was only two, but it was still a long time.” He bent down to press a kiss to the top of Titania’s head. “Why don’t you run along and get your sister and we can all have something to eat?”

Jareth released his hold on his daughter.

“Okay, Papa.” The five year old said before turning around and racing through the doorway to the throne room to fetch her sister. 

Sarah noticed a light trail of glitter in the air that followed behind Titania as she walked away from her parents. Titania and Faye had half of Jareth’s blood and half of Sarah’s. They were not completely human as Sarah had hoped for for her argument. But then was she fully human anymore? As Jareth’s wife she had become the Goblin Queen and Lady of the Labyrinth, Mother of the Goblin Princesses. What had happened to her? What had Jareth done to her?

Titania came back a moment later with her sister, holding on to the younger’s hand. Faye appeared to be upset that she had been taken away from her new toy, but she too was distracted by seeing her mother and father. Faye released her sister’s hand and raced into her father’s arms. Jareth carefully wrapped his arms around his youngest daughter, picking her up to hold her.

The girls were happy here, as if they had woken up and into themselves. Could Sarah really take away their happiness?

“I need some fresh air.” Sarah decided, looking away from her family. She moved past Jareth and her daughters.

“Mama?” Faye called out to her.

Jareth said nothing to her, returning immediately to his role as a father. 

“Your mother needs a bit more time to heal, my loves.” He explained, a sugar coated version of the story for his daughters to understand. “How about we get you to bed for your naps, hmm?”

He shifted his hold on Faye to carry her in one hand and reached down to take Titania by the hand with his other. 

“Can we see the goblins after our nap, Papa?” Titania asked. She knew that there were goblins here and she had been so desperate to see them.

“We shall see.” The answer was good enough for Titania and she held on to her father’s hand as they carefully walked up to her and her sister’s new rooms.

Sarah stepped through the throne room, which was more of a disaster then when she had seen it twenty years ago. Chicken feathers were everywhere with trash strewn about, tucked in corners. It appeared almost like a tornado had hit it. Dirty castle, chickens, goblins, and magic. Her family seemed so happy here. Was she even needed anymore? After all, Jareth had what he needed out of her, didn’t he?

She opened the front door to the castle, seeing before her the Goblin City. Some goblins were out and about, looking bright eyed and confused, almost as if they had all woken up at the same time from a very long sleep. What had happened here?

Sarah took a step out of the castle and found herself being pulled forward, transported. When she stopped, she found herself in a place that was the furthest away from where she could get a breath of fresh air, the Bog of Eternal Stench.


	4. Heroine's Breakdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update. Sorry for it taking a while. I had a lot happen this week.
> 
> Please comment. I really enjoy writing this story.
> 
> Thank you the kudos and all the hits as well!

The stench that wafted up Sarah’s nose from the Bog made her want to vomit, as if the sheer act of doing so would expel the smell that was working into her system like a toxic gas. It seemed impossible and yet the stench seemed worse than when she had been a teenager. The smell was thicker than before, infecting her. 

She fell to her knees, her eyes going to the Bog, that appeared to be bubbling, the fumes continuing to hit her. She reached a hand to try and cover her nose, knowing it was already too late. The stench had hit her nostrils and it would take such a long time to escape, if she could. 

She felt weaker than before. But then again, she was not the same. She was not the same foolish young woman who had entered the labyrinth to correct a horrible mistake. No. This time she had been forced here and for what? So that Jareth could play his games and have his way with her, all under the pretense of them being husband and wife? 

She dug her free hand into the ground. Everything was hitting her. She could defy him, but he had already won. He would not let her leave. Even if he did, what would she lose in return? This was not the same as last time where she had defeated him through her will and words. There was no child that had been stolen from her. Titania and Faye were his as much as they were hers. He was using the children as chains to tie her down, knowing that she would do anything to keep them safe. But what was worse was that he acted in a role, making her an unknowing actor in his family play in the Aboveground for an entire decade. 

Tears slid down Sarah’s cheeks. The horrid stench was not a factor in her crying. It was everything that had happened, everything that Jareth had done to her and how he had given her no escape.

“Sarah?” Someone spoke her name, their voice nasally as if they had pinched their nose hard as a way of dealing with the foul stench. 

Her name was repeated several times before the broken heroine, now unwilling Goblin Queen, looked up. Before her, she saw someone that she had thought she would never see again, not since Jareth had stolen her life from her.

“Hoggle!” She practically sobbed the dwarf’s name. A friend. Someone she had desperately needed.  
\-----  
 _“Do you Sarah Linda Williams take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To remain by his side through sickness and in health, through good times and bad, for as long as you both shall live? Forever?” She was asked._

_Sarah’s hands were in Jareth’s. She was done up in her wedding gown, her thick, brown hair placed back and off her shoulders. She knew that she was lucky. By twenty five, she was marrying the love of her life and the only one she wanted to spend forever with._

It's only forever. Not long at all.

_A chill ran through her that she did not understand. Perhaps it was bridal nerves. She swallowed and gazed at Jareth, who stood there patiently, waiting for her answer._

_“I do.” Sarah answered, the words that would seal her fate._

_She felt Jareth’s grasp on her hands tighten a little. No doubt he was nervous too. While there was never a question in their minds about them getting married, there was just something nerve wracking about saying words and vows in front of a bunch of people, even if they were family and friends._

_“Do you Jareth G. King take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To remain by her side through sickness and in health, through good times and bad, for as long as you both shall live? Forever?” The question moved on to Jareth._

_The groom smiled at the bride. It was genuine smile, Sarah knew that. But it made her heart pound for reasons she could not explain._

_“I do.” He replied._

_There was a brief pause for a dramatic effect before came the words that they had both wanted to hear for so long._

_“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”_

_Jareth did kiss her, passionately, and Sarah gave into his kiss, the chill that had run through her earlier forgotten._  
\-----  
“Here.” A thick and scratchy handkerchief was held out in front of the Goblin Queen. Sarah reached for it, blowing her nose into it and wiping herself up from her tears. She knew she still looked like a mess. She was a mess. So much of one that Hoggle had to exert much strength to help her get up from where she had fallen on the bank by the Bog of Eternal Stench to the edge of it, where the smell was much sweeter.

“Thank you.” She was so appreciative of his kindness. It was hard to tell if it was her emotions or if she had been truly glad to see him again. “I can wash it somehow.”

“No need to bother. Doesn’t help much anyway.” Hoggle waved off her offer.

“Help much? Help with what?” There was so much that had changed. Hoggle still looked the same, but she knew that things were different. She was sure that she was different than when she had last called upon him in the mirror before Jareth had come and taken everything from her.

“Don’t expect you to know since you didn’t need us or nothing for a while, but Jareth came back to me to put into his practice his promise. You kissed me so here I am, the Prince of the Land of Stench.” 

“All because I kissed you?” Jealously was another dark mark Sarah would have to put against him, not that it would do her much good. “I’m sorry, Hoggle. A lot has happened. A lot out of my control, but I can make things right.” At least for him. Why should the dwarf have to suffer when he had done nothing wrong?

“Ain’t like you can unless you’re the queen or something.” Hoggle said. As if Sarah could free him from the stench filled prison Jareth had locked him in.

The dwarf looked over at her, believing that she would laugh at the ridiculousness of his request. Instead, Sarah looked down and hugged her knees close to her.

“You? No! It can’t…What?” He stuttered trying to find the right words.

“Ten years.” It was hard for her to say it. “He took everything from me, Hoggle! Maybe I was wrong all those years ago. My will is not as strong as his. He has power over me. And I have no idea what to do.”

“Returning home might be a good start. The girls do miss their mother.” Sarah’s blood turned to ice at the cruel voice. Before them stood Jareth, menacing in his brown leathers.


	5. A New Piece on the Board

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy. Thank you for kudos. Feel free to comment.

Hoggle had given Sarah relief, someone to talk to, someone to share her moment of weakness with. Yet, as he done before with her life, Jareth had taken it from her, giving her no choice but to face him.

The dwarf stepped in front of her, as if to protect the Goblin Queen.

“Hello, Hedgewort. Royal life everything you hoped it would be?” Jareth was smirking, clearly amused by the dwarf.

“It’s Hoggle!” The dwarf practically shouted at Jareth. Sarah could understand her friend’s frustration. Her husband seemed to have a penchant of calling others by incorrect names or not even bothering to learn their names unless they were somehow important to him. “And the lady don’t want you here. Not now. Not ever.”

“She doesn’t? How valiant of you to try and protect her.” Sarah could see fire burning in Jareth’s eyes. 

Sarah released her arms from around her knees, knowing that she should stand up and face Jareth. While she was appreciative of Hoggle’s want to protect her, she knew that he was no match for the Goblin King. Then again, was she a match for him now?

She tried to stand up, to get back on her feet, but found herself unable to do so. A sharp feeling of nausea seemed to overcome her in that moment. She thought that now that she was at the border of the Bog of Eternal Stench that any feeling of sickness from the smell would be gone, but all she had been given was a brief break before it had started again, as if something had been triggered.

Her stomach was turning, feeling like it didn’t want to hold whatever contents it had in it down. She barely managed to lean forward, her hands crashing to the ground in front of her. Unable to control herself, a gritty orange substance that tasted horrid rushed out of her mouth. Her mind felt cloudy in that moment, but she knew what was happening. She was vomiting. It was something she had not done since…  
\-----  
 _Sarah opened the door to the bathroom. She was feeling alright today, having finally recovered from a long standing feeling of nausea and with it several trips to the toilet to vomit. Jareth had been concerned for her, even taking the day off from work to be by her side. Of course, his support had been shut off for nearly an hour when Sarah had gone into the bathroom of their apartment, shooing her husband away from her._

_Jareth stood in front of the door to the bathroom, looking like a sad puppy. He had wanted to be with her today, to help her feel better, even willing to take her doctor, no matter how much she protested against it._

_In her hands she held up a white tube like medical device. She held it out in front of her, showing it to her husband. Jareth carefully wrapped his hands around the device and took a look at it. He knew what it was, a pregnancy test. He wasn’t surprised that Sarah had one in her possession. They had been trying for a little while now to have a child, desiring to have a family of their own._

_“It’s positive.” She told him as he read the result on the device. “I’ve been experience early morning sickness, I think.”_

_Sarah ran her hand through her long, dark hair, nervous. While they had been trying to have a child, she wondered if Jareth still wanted to have a family with her._

_Her worries were for naught, however. Her husband reached out to embrace her. She could hear him crying tears of joy._  
\-----  
Her vomiting finally stopped after a few minutes. Sarah knew the familiar symptom. For both Titania and Faye, the morning sickness had come earlier in her pregnancies than for the average pregnant woman. Why should this baby be different? Perhaps it had to do with Jareth’s genes mingling with hers inside the womb.

But still, she was pregnant. Even without a test she knew it. And if she knew it, then Jareth did too. Dammit! Now he would never let her go, especially not when she was carrying the next Goblin Prince or Princess in her womb.

She dug her hands into the earth. How did this happen? Well of course she knew how it had. It wasn’t exactly out of the blue for her and Jareth to make love. They had done so plenty of times before the memories had returned, so the possibility of her conceiving was likely. Of course, lately they hadn’t used protection. They wouldn’t have minded having another child. But now…

It wasn’t like she didn’t want to have another baby. Sarah did love being a mother. However, the current circumstances weren’t exactly the best for her to be having a child in.

“Well. Well. What do we have here?” There was delight in Jareth’s voice, as if he found another strong link in the chain to keep Sarah in the labyrinth.

She heard a smack, the sound of flesh being kicked out of the way. She heard the sound of rolling and knew that Hoggle was being sent away from Jareth’s kick. A moment later, she saw a pair of boots standing before her, inches away from the puddle of her vomit.

“Come any closer and I’ll puke on you.” Sarah threatened Jareth.

He laughed. Her threat was a false show of strength. It was hardly worth even being called a threat. Besides, he had had his fair share of having spit up on him from burping their daughters when they had been babies. He had changed his fair share of diapers. Sarah’s vomit on his boots would be nothing.

Jareth bent down to Sarah’s level. 

“You shouldn’t threaten, love. It causes you to stress, which could harm the baby.” He told her. “Come. Let us return to the castle. You need more rest.”

“I’m fine. I’ll return your castle when and if I feel like it.” The nausea had faded away, leaving physical evidence of the baby for now. 

Sarah pushed off of the ground and managed to finally stand up. While she may not have the strength she should, she realized that she was still strong. Sarah may be Jareth’s prisoner, but he would not harm her, not now that she was carrying their third child. Besides, even if their lives in the Aboveground had been a lie, the words held true that he did love her.

“Sarah.” His tone was harsh, a warning. “Don’t defy me.”

“Defy you? Jareth, I have every right to defy you and you know it.” What more could he do to her that he hadn’t done already? She had nothing left to lose.

“What is your plan, hmmm? How will you defy me?” He could see within her the spirit that had attracted him to her in the first place, the strong heroine. 

“I don’t know. Though perhaps I ought to take advantage of your brilliant idea of making me your queen and having me mother your children. In chess, the queen is the strongest piece, not the king.” The Goblin Queen was not a title that she wanted, especially not under the circumstances she was in, but perhaps Sarah could use it to her advantage. 

“Oh?” She didn’t have a plan, but she seemed interested in what power her title brought with it. That was a good start. Jareth might enjoy her little defiance. “What is your first order of business as my queen and the mother of my children?”

“Two orders.” Sarah decided. 

“Two? My how greedy you are.” The fire in his eyes had transformed into amusement.

“Hoggle is to be released from the position you gave him.” She demanded.

“Is he now? Do you have a prince to offer in his place, love?”

“I have given you two princesses and another prince or princess on the way, though I hope none of them become the ruler of the Land of Stench. No, Jareth. There is no replacement and there need not be.” She was firm about that. Hoggle would be free.

“Would you like to offer a better alternative?” He was willingly to keep torturing poor Hoggle. Never mind the faults of the dwarf now. Twenty years ago, Hoggle had bent the rules from his job, assisting Sarah solve the labyrinth instead of hindering her.

“I would think that my husband ought to be focused on the present than fixated on his jealousy about one kiss of relief from the past.” Sarah returned. “Never forget, Jareth, you won me, even if it was a game you cheated at.”

Jareth bit his tongue. His wife was fixated on what she believed had happened, rather than the truth.

“And your second demand?” He asked instead.

“That you tell me why you did what you did.”

Whether he wanted to tell her now or not, whether she would listen to him or not, she needed to know everything. Why had Jareth put on such a play for eleven years? Why had they returned to the labyrinth now?


	6. A Conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I had writer's block last week, which finally went away.
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and bookmarks. Please do comment.

_But what no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl and he had given her certain powers._

The girl was now a woman and had become the king’s bride, mothering his children. Although she had become the Queen of the Goblins, she knew not every power that had been gifted to her. Nor did she know what other powers she would be given as the Goblin Queen and Lady of the Labyrinth. 

Powers. Responsibilities. It was enough to make anyone’s head spin. Yet after ten years of marriage, raising two daughters, and working full time, Sarah was used to having a lot on her plate. The only difference now was the scenery and that in several months’ time, a new member would be added to her household.

Her husband stood up and looked at her, mischief in his eyes. She remembered him looking like that at her during her first trip to the labyrinth. He had seemed to tower over her then. Things were different now. Her role had changed and they were playing a very different game. Although Sarah wasn’t exactly sure what her next move would be. Whatever she did, she knew that Jareth would not risk losing her or the children.

Still, what did she hope to win? What was she searching for? There was no baby for her to rescue. The girls were half hers and half Jareth’s. Perhaps it was a hope for some sense of normalcy again. Of course, she was angry, upset that she had spent elven years in an illusion, but deep down she yearned to return to that dream. She had had a loving husband, two beautiful daughters with a third child on the way, a good job, and a safe and warm home. Who would blame her for wanting to return to the bubble of her dream? 

Jareth held out his hand, summoning a crystal ball. He moved to place the crystal in his queen’s hand. Upon making contact with Sarah’s palm, the crystal transformed into a ripe peach. The scent of the fruit was very tempting. When she had returned from the labyrinth as a teenager, she had ceased eating peaches, a lingering fear from her journey remaining. It hadn’t been until she was twenty four and had begun dating Jareth that she had been able to eat the fruit again.

Sarah knew that this was no ordinary peach. It was Jareth’s fruit and she knew what he had the power to do with it.

“A gift, I presume.” She replied, looking for a second at the peach before looking back at Jareth.

“Yes. Methinks you must be hungry for more than what information I can offer to satisfy your demands.” He said. 

Sarah knew that he was waiting for her to eat the peach. That as soon as she bit into it, she could be more easily influenced by him. That he could control her, keeping her as his little bride in a bubble. She would be damned if she would allow that to happen.

“I don’t need your food, Jareth.” She retorted, though the peach was continuing to look rather tempting. She did want it, but she could not allow him to have an upper hand. 

“You need to eat. You do want the child to be healthy, don’t you?” A tug on her chain. Jareth knew that she would not neglect her body, not with the baby in her womb. “Or are you afraid of accepting food from your own husband?”

“That’s not the point. I don’t trust you.” She replied. “It took me years to eat peaches again. I’m not going to be your play thing that you can do what you please with.”

“Do what I please with you? Ha. Oh, Sarah. I sought your consent. Everything I have done with you took place because you were a willing participant.” Jareth reminded her. “This is harmless. It is merely a peach, I assure you.”

She had to admit that he was right about that. He had never forced himself upon her. The first peach she had taken from Hoggle out of her own free will, even if it was a trick. Every time they had made love, both of them had consented to it. True, he was a villain and full of mischief and trickery, but he had respect for her and her body.

“Merely a peach? Somehow I don’t believe you.” Sarah would rather not bite into it and find herself in a drugged dream again.

“Then think of it as medicine to help the baby. The child needs to have food of this world in order to remain here.” 

The peach was becoming harder for her to resist. Damn it all!. 

“What do you mean by that?” Sarah asked before finally taking a bite of the peach. Juice from the fruit flowed into her mouth. It didn’t taste strange like the one she had had before in the labyrinth. This one tasted like a regular peach, just a bit more flavorful than any she had bought at the store or farmer’s market.

“Anyone conceived in your world can only remain in my world for a certain period of time before they lose themselves and become a monster.” He explained. “I doubt you fancy birthing a shadow. I can only reorder so much before the clock escapes my grasp.”

She knew Jareth could transform wished away babies and children into goblins. Then again, he had told her that there were more of the hardships unnumbered in his kingdom than she had faced before. Were the humans who had come to the Underground and never escaped, turning into monsters, one of those challenges she could have faced?

So that was what this was about. They may have only just learned of her pregnancy, but the baby had been conceived in the Aboveground. The peach would be for the baby, for Sarah’s consumption of the peach twenty years ago had given her immunity to that horrid fate of transformation and losing herself, but not their unborn child.

“I assume you gave the girls your food too.” She commented before continuing to devour the peach, being careful of the pit. 

“Yes. Sliced peaches when they woke up the first day I brought them home. They both enjoyed it.” It was good to know that their daughters were getting their fruit intake.

Sarah finished the peach, the large pit left in her hands. A moment later, the pit disappeared in a small cloud of glitter. The fruit itself had been good, but it only made her realize that she was rather hungry. She would have to keep up a good diet in order to keep herself and the baby healthy.

She moved to lean against a nearby tree and looked at Jareth. She would put off her hunger for a little while for the conversation she needed to have with her husband was more important.

“So why did you do it?” Sarah would not let Jareth keep silent about why he had putting on this masquerade for eleven years. “You wanted me to be your puppet, your queen. Why? Is this your revenge?”

“Revenge?” He seemed amused by that. He could be cruel, but if he had gotten revenge on her for being the first and only one to defeat him, the situation they would be in now would be very different. “It was not that. You know the answer to why I did what I did, but you refuse to accept it.”

She glared at him. He would not be telling her the answer. Then again, the first time she had come to the labyrinth she had learned the lesson not to take anything for granted. Jareth would make her figure it out. She would have to play his little game.

“How about our daughters, then? Did you need a wife to give you some heirs? Let me guess you are eager to have a son, aren’t you? You want our unborn child to be a boy. A new Goblin King to follow in your footsteps.” She hissed. She may have consented to making love with him, but she did not want to be used as an heir producer.

“You think so little of me after a decade of marriage. That hurts, Sarah.” He replied. He stepped closer to her and reached a hand to touch her belly. “I wanted you. The children were born out of love, not a need for an heir. However, since you seem concerned about it, my heir is Titania. Many years from now she will be the next Goblin King. It is her birth right as our first born. I do not care for our children’s gender. All that matters to me is that you are their mother. Now then, I’ve had enough of your fighting, my love. We have important business to attend to at the castle.”

Before Sarah could stop him, he moved his hand from her belly to pull her close. The goblin monarchs disappeared in a cloud of glitter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, I decided that in the Goblin kingdom, there is gender neutral primogeniture and the eldest child inherits the throne and the title of Goblin King.


	7. The Big News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a good while. Sorry. I've been busy and tired. Anyway, please enjoy and comment.

Sarah felt rather disoriented from the sudden transportation. Indeed, when she felt solid ground under her feet after being forced into a cloud of glitter, she nearly fell. If not for Jareth’s grasp on her, Sarah knew that she would have fallen. She was quick to steady herself and managed to wrench free of her husband. It would seem that, whether she wanted to or not, she would have to get used to being magically transported around. It was something new for her to deal with. She hadn’t remembered feeling like this when Jareth had first let her into the labyrinth twenty years ago. Perhaps he had opened a magical portal to allow her inside the first time.

Now firmly on the ground, Sarah inspected her surroundings. She was in Jareth’s castle. She knew that much. But this was not a room that she had seen before. Then again, Jareth’s words to her implied that there was a lot of the labyrinth she hadn’t seen yet, much less all the rooms of his castle. 

The room she found herself in was beautiful and perfect for the one it had been intended for. The walls were covered with painted animals and mystical creatures, the furniture was built to be easily reached by a child, and the canopied bed while big, was not overwhelming. And there sitting on top of the rich purple and silver covers of the bed was the designated owner of the room, Titania. Seated next to the five year old was her sister, Faye. Both of Sarah and Jareth’s daughters were concentrating on a picture book.

“The end.” Titania read out loud, earning the admiration of her sister. 

“Wow!” Faye said, obviously still amazed at Titania’s ability to read. Sure her parents could read, but they were adults. Adults were expected to read in her young mind. But children around her age were rather brilliant if they could read like her sister could.

Faye had not yet learned to read, being too young, but she liked to hear stories told to her and loved to look at the pictures in picture books. Titania had only being reading a short time herself, having gotten lessons for about a year now after her pre-school teacher had called Sarah and Jareth up to do so as Titania demonstrated that she was a bit more advanced than her fellow classmates. Now that Sarah knew the truth, she wondered if it was the fae blood coursing in Titania’s veins made her slightly more advanced than other children her age. Would Faye also be like that in time?

Sarah was distracted from the scene when she heard the sound of clapping. She looked back to see Jareth applauding his daughter for finishing the children’s book.

“Yes, well done, sweetheart.” He praised his daughter.

Both Titania and Faye looked up from the book to see their parents.

“Mama! Papa!” They exclaimed, happy that their parents were there. 

Jareth walked over to his children and moved to sit down on the bed with the girls. Titania put down the book and she and her sister began to bombard their father with requests.

“I’m hungry!” Faye whined. “Can we eat? I was good. I took a nap.”

“Can we see the goblins, Papa? Can we?” Titania voiced her hope of what could happen now that she and her sister had both taken their naps. Besides from what her young eyes could see, surely their mother was even better now that she had taken that breath of fresh air.

“We will.” Jareth promised.

It surprised Sarah how much patience the Goblin King afforded their daughters. He hadn’t seemed to be that patient when she had challenged him all those years ago. Then again, having a reputation of taking babies to turn into goblins, dealing with said goblins, and even his five years of fatherhood was enough to give him some amount of patience for young children. As for teenagers, that was a different story. But when they had been a happy family in the Aboveground, Jareth had always been patient with their daughters, loving them dearly. It was becoming harder for Sarah to take an easy route and separate the man she knew as her husband from the Goblin King. They were both the same person, well, fae.

“But first, your mother and I have something very important to tell you.” He told them.

The girls did their best to be serious, sitting straight and looking at their father. Jareth gestured for Sarah to come over. 

What kind of play was Jareth making, Sarah wondered? Still, whatever happened between her and him, their daughters had a right to know about what would be happening to their family in several months. It wouldn’t be a secret for long.

Sarah let out a breath and walked over to the bed where her family was sitting. She stood in front of them, feeling somehow nervous. The news was still fresh and she wasn’t exactly sure how her daughters were take it. Jareth’s reaction had been expected, delighted and giving him another reason to keep her here, but as for Titania and Faye, it was a mystery.

She remembered when they had told Titania just under four years ago when she had been pregnant with Faye. Titania had been two then, gaining up on three years. Her oldest daughter had been old enough to walk and talk and understand a bit, even if she didn’t understand how on earth a baby had gotten into her mother’s belly. Titania had cried then, afraid that she would somehow be forgotten when her little sister arrived. But of course she was proven wrong, for her parents loved her and her sister equally. 

Sarah ran her hand through her dark hair. While her daughters didn’t fully comprehend why their mother did this, they had seen the general gesture enough times to know that something was troubling their mother.

“Mama?” Titania asked.

Sarah released her hand from her hair and put on a smile for her daughters as a signal that she was alright. She put moved her hand to her belly.

“Titania, Faye, in several months, you will both be big sisters. Your father and I are having a baby, your little sister or brother.” She finally managed to say. 

She had only said sister first because of the track record she had with Jareth. They had two daughters. While this pregnancy could result in a son, it also had a high chance of them having another daughter. “But I promise that we will still love you. We could never forget about you, my loves.”

Faye blinked, processing the news. Titania had a look of worry on her face that disappeared with her mother’s reassurance that they would still be loved no matter what. It had been what she had been told when her mother had been pregnant with Faye and her parents had kept their word. Why should this time be any different?

“Can we pick a name?” Titania asked.

“Name?” Sarah repeated. They would need a name for the baby, but they still had a while. Yet, she knew of a name if the child was a boy that she and Jareth had both agreed on before the return of the memories. And it was surely a name that Jareth would take great joy in knowing that it was given to his own son. “Why don’t we wait a bit before choosing a name, alright?” She attempted to put off that conversation.

“They can’t have my room. It’s mine!” Faye hissed. The room she had in her father’s castle was perfect for her. It did not need a stinky baby in it.

“No one’s going to take your room.” The mother attempted to calm her youngest daughter. “They’ll have their own room.”

Despite Sarah’s words, Faye was not swayed to be calm. In fact, she simply got more angry and upset, which in turn made Titania angry and upset. The baby could not take either of their rooms and they were not to touch Titania’s plushie collection or Faye’s rock collection, and so on. This was not fair! 

The Goblin Queen found herself rubbing her temples, developing a headache from her children’s shouting and demands. Nothing she was doing would calm them.

The Goblin King stood up from the bed and seemed to tower over his daughters.

“That’s enough!” He snapped at them. It wasn’t a yell, but it was a warning and a great exercise of Jareth’s patience.

“I wish the goblins would take the baby away, right now!” Faye dared to wish.

Sarah’s heart froze. What would happen? Her daughter had made a wish, the same stupid wish she had all those years ago and…

Glitter surrounded the mother and she disappeared, only to reappear a moment later in her husband’s arms. Sarah didn’t have time to say anything or even get herself out of Jareth’s arms, for a moment later the ground around them shook quite harshly before settling down, like some kind of quick, magical earthquake.

She looked at Jareth, whose expression was now shocked and confused. It was almost as if he knew something about the earthquake.

“It’s changed.” He whispered, worry and panic in his voice. Both of those were feelings Sarah had never thought that the great Goblin King Jareth would ever have.

“What’s changed?” Sarah inquired, afraid of the answer.

The words he spoke were soft, barely audible, spoken as if Jareth could not believe it was even possible. But Sarah heard them and she understood his shock:

“My labyrinth.”

The labyrinth had changed. As to what, none of them knew.


End file.
